With this year’s World Travel Market currently in full swing in London, Travel Daily Media had the opportunity to catch up with Thai Airways’ chief commercial officer Kittiphong Sansomboon who talked about the various changes happening to the airline.
Sansomboon first pointed out how 2025 is getting to be a significant time for Thai Airways, especially given the fact that the airline marks its 65th anniversary this year.
He related: “We turn 65 this year, and the good news is we have successfully exited from the rehab plan and gone back to the stock exchange as of early August.”
At the same time, Sansomboom said that the airline is poised to augment its fleet with 32 units of the Airbus A321neo, a new generation of the narrow-body aircraft that is rapidly becoming the plane of choice for many of the world’s airlines.
He added: “As we speak, we're receiving the first two by the end of the year. Next year, there will be around 15 or 16 aircraft coming into our fleet. That will be a very good way for us to spread our wings all over Asia.”
An exemplary passenger experience 30,000 feet in the air
With the airline itself getting into proper recovery and expanding its overall capacity with new aircraft, one key aspect of Thai Airways we wanted to know more about was its signature hospitality and service quality.
Sansomboom was quick to assure us that things are going well and that Thai Airways continues to improve on the overall customer experience.
He said: “We’re all about customer experience, particularly what we like to call the six senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and feeling from the heart. Whatever we do, we have to make sure that it will be fulfilled by the six senses.”
This uniquely Asian approach to building a fulfilling customer experience is rooted firstly in Buddhist philosophy, but also builds on the merit of staying customer-centric.
Sansomboom explained further: “We consider both the functional benefit, as well as the emotional benefit. With the functional benefit, that takes time and money, and you can see that in how we try to modernise our fleet. But we also put effort into the emotional benefit our passengers get on every flight, and we’re always looking out for areas for improvement.”
He cited inflight meals as a good case for emotional benefit for passengers, and it also speaks well for Thai Airways’ focus on sustainability as well as support for local communities back in Thailand.
Sansomboom explained: “The meals that we serve in flight feature ingredients that come from Thailand, and it’s our way of offering good taste for a good cause. It’s beyond delicious as it’s also about our community-based initiatives, so it’s also good for society.”
Local products go global
One of the great things about Thai Airways is that they give back to the communities from whom they obtain the ingredients or products offered on every flight: from the produce that makes their way into exquisite Thai dishes to even little treats like coffee and tea.
According to Sansomboom: “We carry the coffee from the Royal Project in the north, and this means we help create jobs for people in the region, encouraging them to grow coffee rather than relying on seasonal fruit jams. Also, the chocolate carried on our flights is 100 percent home-grown in Thailand, made with top-quality cacao from the southern part of the country.”
Indeed, Thai Airways’ tie-up with Thai artisanal chocolatier Kan Vela has gone on to win international awards thanks to the exceptional quality of the products.
More than that, however, the partnership has also enabled both parties to give back to society.
As Sansomboom puts it: “When you create jobs, you give people opportunities, and people love it.”
Bringing more than a taste of Thailand to the skies
Aside from bringing local products aboard, Thai Airways’ Street to Sky project brings the flavours of quintessential Thai street food in flight for international passengers to enjoy.
Sansomboom explained that this initiative is for those dining in Economy Class, enabling them to sample authentic Thai flavours crafted by expert chefs.
He said: “When we bring Thailand’s famous street food aboard Thai Airways, we also provide opportunities for local chefs: we treat them well and show them the proper respect as local heroes.”
With a smile, he added that when passengers hear the stories behind the various comforts offered to them in flight, they learn more about Thailand, its culture, and its people.
As Sansomboom puts it: “At least they know that Thai Airways tries to do something good for others.”
Interview and top photo: Gary Marshall
Additional photos: Thai Airways
